Reason to research before you give! For-profit telemarketing companies based in New York retained 52 percent of the funds they raised on behalf of charities in 2013, according to a new report released by the state’s attorney general. Of the $302 million raised in 2013 for charitable causes -- the most ever reported in New York’s history -- $146.5 million actually went to the fundraising missions of the organizations, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman concluded in his office’s 12th annual ‘Pennies for Charity’ report.

“New Yorkers who are generous enough to donate their hard-earned money to charity deserve to know how that money is really spent, including how much is used to pay for-profit telemarketers,” Schneiderman said in a statement. http://rt.com/usa/237777-telemarketers-n...ndraising/

I agree people should do research for a variety of reasons. I know what I'm about to say is going to come off horrible. But people should think before donating to large cancer charities for example. I say this from my own personal experience.

My ex-husband was a horrible person and through everything awful and manipulativeness he got custody of my daughter and I had custody of my son. There was joint guardianship. My daughter had cancer. Doctors had some questions about it and sent samples of it to a lab. It wasn't found to be hereditary. I think it had something weird as mismatched tissue type. Why that is is a long story which goes back to my ex-husband wasn't a nice man. He used to say "Appearances are everything. How you really are doesn't matter."

My daughter hated being in the media for her cancer. Yet she was put in newspapers here and a woman's magazine. I took exception to the magazine and talked to them and they were quite hostile to me. I simply pointed out I wasn't an absentee mom. My daughter stayed with me every second weekend, I went to her school meetings, I was at hospital with her for her surgeries/procedures and chemo. I just wasn't in the media with her and involved in shave-a-thons. My daughter also expressed dislike not only at having to see herself constantly sick in some picture or article but also how her father used it. I suspect he traded some of the money from the shave a thon for questionable money from possibly drug dealing. Then gave that money to the cancer society. He also contacted every wish organization and simlar to ask them for things. He got 5 or so computers and sold all but one. He got items he'd trade online or through sales papers. This even included tickets from an airline that he worked at as a janitor. The same airline later fired him. I suspect possibly over him helping people smuggle something knowing when flighters were scheduled to be cleaned and where they were coming and going from.

My ex-husband wasn't in dire straights. He had comprehensive medical, the government provided a special program that covered medical supplies, parking, travel gas, etc and even respite. His work took them on shopping sprees or gave them trips including hotel at places like Disneyland or Mexico. He had several family members he was living with that provided him with support. He didn't really care for our daughter his other family did in making her meals, taking her to school or some doctors appointments.

So beware of charity scams. Most people going through something will not ask for anything or will ask for something simple like postcards to cheer a kid up. They shy away from being put in the newspapers due to the insensitivity that can be to what the child is dealing with. They are also well aware of various government programs and private organizations because social workers from the hospital help them access services or the government hotline helps direct them to proper services. The kids just want to be kids and not be sick. Parents that make a big deal about things might have something else going on. I had months were money was tight for me to take transit to medical things and afford food while living in my child's hospital room. I made do. My ex drove and only stayed overnight a few times. His family would bring him food or he could afford to buy it. While at the hospital with my daughter I often had to also take care of my son so he'd be there with me, or at respite services, or with his dads family.

Some large charitable organizations that fund research know there are better treatments and even cures to many things. They were involved in the medical industry refusing to permit the new treatments or deny them a chance to have a study. Some countries varied on their responses which kept some things going. But many charitable programs have different status.

Know what is a for profit charity and a non profit. I think there might of also been a third category. In one category all people are volunteers all funding goes to helping people with issues and simple costs of office space(electricity, unit rentals, taxes, phone line, office equipment, etc but no employee wages). Other offices have some staff that is hired and some that is volunteer. For the ones that hire staff there are different rules regarding wages. So some can set themselves to have good work perks as in trip costs, conferences in nice places that are expensive, leased cars, office clothing, lunch costs, extended medical and retirement benefits, and of course a high market wage for there job position.

The type of charity as in non profit vs not for profit affects their tax status when doing yearly government taxes. The taxes they pay have to come out of money they fundraise or from donations. So be mindful of scammers that do it at a more personal level like my ex-husband or like what some agencies. Which is really quite sad that people behave that way.